Estonia has renewed its contract with Milremin, a Patria subsidiary, to maintain the Patria XA-series armored vehicles operated by the Estonian armed forces. (Patria photo)

The Centre for Defence Investment has renewed the public contract with Milrem LCM, provider of defence vehicle lifecycle management, for repair and maintenance of the Patria XA-180 and XA-188 armoured vehicles. Milrem LCM is part of Patria Group.

“Since 2014, the [Estonian] Defence Forces have worked closely with Milrem for better management of the lifecycle of our defence vehicles. Our partnership has been effective. The knowledge that there are efficient Estonian defence companies with growth potential provides confidence that we can face the challenges in all circumstances,” said Marek Sügis, Head of the Technology Section of the Support Command at the Estonian Defence Forces.

“The renewal of this contract shows that close cooperation can lead to the best results in meeting the needs of the Defence Forces. All parties to the contract—the Centre for Defence Investment, the Estonian Defence Forces, and Milrem—are interested in continuing to work together to provide the best possible support to the units of the Defence Forces,” said Margus Padjus, Head of the Armament Procurement Bureau, Centre for Defence Investment.

“Milrem wants to be a strong and reliable partner for the Defence Forces of Estonia, both in peace and at times of conflict. We want to develop and become an increasingly strong benchmark for military competence in Estonia and, therefore, the Defence Forces’ strongest partner,” said Kuldar Väärsi, member of the Milrem LCM management board. “Since the majority owner of Milrem LCM is Patria, the original equipment manufacturer of the XA vehicles, we now have an even better engineering know-how to further improve our life cycle management capabilities,” he added.

The contract held by Milrem LCM in question is a public contract awarded in October 2013. Under the contract, Milrem has been providing lifecycle management services for the Defence Forces’ Patria XA-180 and XA-188 armoured vehicles since 2014. The contract was initially awarded for four years, with an option for renewal for a further four years. The first four-year period expired at the beginning of this year. The second contract period will expire at the beginning of 2022.

Milrem LCM’s owners are Finnish Patria Group and Kuldar Väärsi through OÜ Sinrob.